Ban Slaughter. End Animal Farming

Fish, chicken, pigs, cows, sheep, goats, cats, dogs, humans...all animals are sentient. All animals feel pain because unlike plants, they have neurological pain receptors. Yet, farmed animals are abused and killed in cruel ways while humans who are also animals, enjoy a much higher status simply because our laws are skewed. British Dietetics Association and American Dietetics Associations have declared that vegan and plant based diets can be nutritionally sufficient and healthful at all stages of life and for all levels of activity. Yet, every year over 70 billion land animals and trillions of fish are killed mercilessly for food alone. Although we can do without any and every animal product, industries still breed, abuse, traffic, trade and kill animals for meat, dairy, leather, fur, feathers and other 'products' with animals used as commodities. This may be legal, 'normalized' and profitable but it is not right by any account, especially as it is destroying earth itself.

Animal farming is a major cause of diseases among humans, both due to the pathogens released in livestock farming and slaughter that cause serious airborne and waterborne diseases, as well as due to the intrinsic risks of heart disease, diabetes, infections and cancers associated with various meats, poultry and dairy. The pollution caused to air, water and land owing to farming is dangerous not only to human health but also to the health of our planet. Because of the way animal farming is razing out all our trees and usurping land, food and resources, there is global poverty, starvation, land shortage, global warming and an upcoming mass extinction of wild vertebrate animals within JUST a few years from now, by 2026 which is deemed as 'year zero'. United Nations reported as early as 2006 that cattle farming generates more greenhouse gases than transportation, while stating that meat and dairy are the biggest problems on earth today, and in 2018, the UN stated we have less than 12 years years to combat climate change and global warming. But we focus on other issues while ignoring the leading and most urgent cause of destruction on our planet?

The time has come for humanity to wake up and for all of us to come together and ask our governments to use good sense and to protect the rights of all animals by making all slaughter and abuse illegal, whether for food, fur, leather, dairy, eggs, hunting or for any reason and using any method whatsoever.

We know that farmers would want to continue farming animals like commodities, and most people would appeal for 'humane' slaughter instead of a complete ban on slaughter. Humane slaughter however is an oxymoron as killing can never be a humane act, whether with pre-stunning, with creature-comforts or any kind of method whatsoever to supposedly 'reduce' pain or suffering. The lives of animals belong to them and not to us, and hence they should not be treated like inanimate objects or property. We need to ask ourselves if it were us in their place how would it feel and would it be justified in the name of 'humane' slaughter or 'farming' which is actually all about harming and legalization of murder and abuse just for profits.

The time has come for us appeal to all lawmakers around the world to stop the destruction of our environment and subduing our planet with any kind of intentional slaughter or killing whatsoever. Make abuse and slaughter of all animals illegal and stop this practice immediately by refusing to fund it in the name of 'industry', 'products' or 'food'.

These are the reasons:

1. It is clearly established that everything we need can be obtained in plants and farming or killing of animals is absolutely unnecessary for any reason whatsoever. British Dietary Association and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics have already stated that plant based foods can provide adequate nourishment at all stages of life and all levels of activity. 2. The UN already says that meat animal farming are the worst industries for our planet causing the maximum greenhouse emissions and climate change. 3. Serious lung infections and various pulmonary and waterborne diseases are associated with animal farming and slaughterhouse waste which is dumped in large quantities in our air and water, producing toxic methane, ammonia and pathogens. Prevalence of influenzas, asthama, bronchitis, meningitis and a host of infections are all known to be zoonotic and directly related to animal agriculture. 4. The brutal murder of any creature that is sentient is a horrendous crime and should no longer be legal under no pretext whatsoever. Murder should no longer be given an industry status.5. Misinformation being spread by industry sponsored and ill-intended research needs to stop as it misleads the public into thinking they need animal sourced nutrients for survival or health when they actually do not. 6. The fact that dangerous infections and diseases such as zoonotic and prion diseases, microbial infections, cancers, heart diseases and diabetes are caused when humans consume or come into contact with animal products such as meat, fish, poultry and dairy has been hidden from public information for too long. No such diseases are transferred from plants to us or caused by plant based diet. 7. We need to all go vegan and stop animal abuse by not funding the killing, not buying animal products or animal tested items and by creating awareness against the use of such products. However laws against animal abuse and slaughter are still necessary and inevitable.8. Farmers who are engaged in animal abuse and slaughter based 'industries' can switch to much more healthier, ethical and economically productive plant based farming that saves land, water, food-grain and ends suffering of both humans and animals alike and of our planet as a whole. Business is something we can choose based on ethics and consciousness instead of merely continuing on a path that is wrong to simply maintain status-quo.9. Killing and slaughter whether of fish, chicken, pigs, horses, cows or any animal whatsoever is a heartless act which leads to mental health disorders and criminality in not only slaughter house workers but also common public who have been trained to be insensitive to creatures around them.10. We need to promote organic plant based farming and not use pesticides and harmful chemicals that kill insects and destroy our health. But while we cannot avoid accidental death of insects we cannot use this as an excuse to promote large scale farming and murder of animals. We can be kind to all creatures and at least not consciously and willingly commit or fund murder.11. From food to clothing, consumer products, personal care, the byproducts of animal slaughter have reached most of our daily consumer goods and people are not even made aware of the fact that most of their purchases contain leftovers of murdered creatures just because these industries like to profit from every bit of the slaughtered animals. We need to ensure that all these disgusting products be replaced with clean and organic plant based items that are eco-friendly and non-toxic at the same time.12. Consumers have the right to know where their food and products come from. There should be complete transparency. Allow consumers and ordinary public to visit slaughterhouses, factories and factory farms and witness the crimes for themselves instead of hiding the truth and preventing footage. Allow rescue workers to bring animals out of this suffering instead of treating them like possessions of the industries just for profit.13. We have learnt the wrong systems, practices and habits from our ancestors, our family members, schools, peers, friends, celebrities, researchers and medical professionals who keep consuming and endorsing the use of animals in food and other products. Through this we have become insensitive, behaved like robots programmed by society and lost all our natural awareness and common sense. We need to stop condoning the evil of killing and murder now.14. Humans have evolved from apes who are primarily fruit eaters (frugivore). Our teeth, jaws, digestive systems are not designed to process animal meat. t is totally unnatural for us to be 'omnivores' as we cannot eat raw animal flesh like other carnivorous or omnivorous animals do by killing other animals out in the wild. Our education system has falsely taught us that humans are omnivores and this has misinformation in our textbooks has to stop immediately.15. Killing of animals for food is not part of the food-chain or balancing of the eco-system, in-fact it is quite the opposite. We breed and bleed close to 70 billion farm animals every single year just for food and trillions of fishes too. This has led to a severe erosion of our eco-system, waste of our land and resources and the single largest cause of the destruction of our planet and mass-extinction of species. There is simply no excuse to continue on this path.16. No amount of argument that 'it is our life and our choices' can justify the killing of animals for food or any other purpose, because in this case it is their life, that of animals and it is not just up-to us to decide what to do with them. Just because murder of animals is not considered illegal like the murder of humans is, this practice continues. Going vegan is one part of the solution and creating strong laws against animal abuse and murder is another, including not only pets and wildlife but also farmed animals. 17. No religious scripture or deity can be quoted to justify the killing of animals. It is entirely unethical and we need to look within ourselves and open our own heart in order to feel what is right or wrong instead of letting wrong things happen because of religious beliefs. 18. We all know that plants do not suffer, but they grow back when we take their fruits and vegetables while animals suffer tremendously when they are abused and killed. Fish, chicken, cows, turkeys, pigs...humans, all lives matter. Specie-ism is merely an extension of racism. Let us keep our human ego aside and stop feeling judged when we face the mirror of our own wrongdoings.19. Tremendous video footage has been released over the recent years to highlight the plight of animals that are raised and killed in factory farms and abattoirs. These videos and documentaries need to be seen by every person so that we can be sensitive to what animals go through and to how this has been affecting our health and our planet. Instead of restricting these videos, they should be compulsory viewing for all who have been misinformed and brainwashed into eating meat, dairy, eggs and poultry and using animal products. We have the right to eat what we want but we do not have the right to eat whoever we want. The right to kill animals for our pleasure cannot be called a human right, it is simply a human wrong.20. Children have the right to know what they are eating and where it comes from. Most children are aghast when informed that they are eating the remains of an animal who was killed just for them. Children naturally love animals and are slowly programmed to become insensitive to their plight. We need a mass education of all parents and children so that we can for the first time think for ourselves and open our heart by learning love and compassion for all creatures and towards our planet, something that has been missing from our curriculum at both school and home. We need to ask ourselves, if even watching this footage is mentally disturbing to children and adults, then why are these cruel and horrific industries and their products legal at all?

NOTE: All the information and reference links shared on this petition may be freely copied and shared to anyone who needs this information. You might want to email or PM friends who are interested in this or copy and post this petition to those in authority, NGOs, activists or change agents in your local area who can take a decision on or support this issue or create your own too.